Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
by livingdust
Summary: Rachel Berry is a famous Broadway star set to marry her leading man. What can possibly go wrong? Oh yeah the fact that everyone around her keeps declaring their love for her and begging her not to get married. Everyone except her first love, the man who broke her heart 10 years before, Noah Puckerman.
1. Jacob Ben Horror

A/N: So this plot came to me in a dream. I was Rachel Berry and engaged to a man that looked a lot like Ryan Reynolds. However, people kept professing their love for me and begging me not to get married. I won't give away too many details but this plot centers around my dream and real life events that have happened.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, if I did Mark Salling would be shirtless in every scene.

* * *

Rachel Berry exited her limo and was instantly bombarded by photographers, paparazzi, and the screams of her adoring fans. While her huge two bodyguards, Flex and Bubba tried to escort her into the building as quickly as her stiletto clad feet would take her, Rachel swiftly waved them off and greeted the fans that were posted closest to her. She took a few pictures with the crowd and signed as many autographs as she could before her manager whisked her away and reminded her of her imminent interview which she was still physically unprepared for.

Although Rachel Berry took excellent care of her skin, she still had to be subjected to the makeup team that was currently waiting for her inside her dressing room. While Drita worked her magic using a variety of NARS and Mac makeup products, her hairstylist Louise was currently working on a hairstyle that made her look like a twelve year old boy. Rachel gasped when she looked into the mirror. "Louise, why do I look like Bruno Mars?" Her hairstylist apologized profusely before quickly undoing the poof that graced the front of her head and began working on a much more uncomplicated hairstyle.

"I'm sorry if I can sometimes be a little demanding when it comes to my looks", Rachel's glam squad all scoffed at the same time as she continued, "but I don't think I need to remind you all about the importance of tonight's interview. Tonight the world will know what has been much speculated over these past few weeks that I am getting married next weekend. I need to look my best, we all know this interview will be replayed on every talk show and entertainment news".

An hour passed and Rachel Berry was finally impeccably styled from head to toe. In place of the ridiculous hairstyle she sported just a short time ago, her long hi-lighted chestnut colored hair was styled in loose waves that made her feel like one of those Kardashian girls. She had on a Gucci silver dress that accentuated her cleavage (it was a miracle what a padded push up bra and chicken cutlet looking inserts could do for a small chest) and 5 inch black Louboutins. Her lucky star patterned underwear that she only allowed herself to wear on special occasions were missing but other than that Rachel was completely satisfied with her appearance. She only wore diamond stud earrings because she didn't want to distract anyone's attention away from the massive custom made 6ct Cartier engagement ring that was currently housed on her left ring finger. Rachel Berry felt on top of the world, she knew there was nothing that could possibly go wrong, because all her dreams were falling into place.

Jay Leno introduced his guest to the sound of roaring applause, "We have here the mega talented Rachel Berry, at the age of 21 she was the youngest actress ever to win "Best Actress in a Leading Role" in the role of Roxie from the musical "Chicago". She's currently starring in the revival of "West Side Story" in the iconic role of Maria. Let's give her a warm welcome!"

"So I hear congratulations are in order Ms. Berry. You have just been nominated once again for a Tony award in the Best Actress category. You're starring in the upcoming release of "Wicked" in the lead role of Elphaba and the buzz is that your performance will earn you an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. You won a Grammy earlier this year for the "Best Musical Show Album" for your vocals on the "West Side Story" soundtrack. And you also won an Emmy two years ago for your guest starring role on the hit show "Musical Misfits". If you win an Academy and for your role of Elphaba, you will be the youngest EGOT winner ever. Is there anything you can't do?"

Rachel Berry laughed and looked to the crowd, "Well I can't drive stick, and I'm terrible at Guitar Hero". The audience all laughed and Rachel Berry was beaming with pride.

Jay Leno turned to Rachel, "With all of your achievements, do you believe you were fated to accomplish everything you have?"

Rachel crossed her legs and adjusted the hem of her mini dress. "Most certainly not. I believe it was in my destiny to get to where I am today. This is something I've been working on since I was three months old. I am in control of my destiny and I pushed myself through my determination, dedication, and talent. Fate is something that controls you, it says you will end up where it wants you to. And I want my fans to know that you can make all of your dreams come true as long as you never falter in your journey to accomplish them"

Jay Leno smiled at Rachel, "So looking at that iceberg on your finger is it safe to say getting married is in your destiny?"

Rachel faced the cameras and smiled directly into them, "I am thrilled to announce that I am indeed getting married in the very near future to my amazing co-star and the leading man of my dreams".

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, while images of the happy engaged couple appeared on screen. Most pictures were promotional shots from the musical "West Side Story", while other pictures showed them at numerous award ceremonies and red carpet events together.

"You heard it first ladies and gentlemen, Rachel Berry, America's Sweetheart, is about to be permanently off the market. Rachel, we have a little surprise for you", Jay Leno announced.

Rachel Berry was curious to see what surprise was in store for her. Looking around, her heart skipped 10 beats and the look of absolute horror and fear came across her face when she heard Jay Leno announce her "surprise".

"We have the creator of the most successful Rachel Berry fan website. He's here to present you with an early wedding present from your fans."

Just then Jacob Ben Israel appeared onstage with a bouquet of roses. Panic set in as Rachel Berry realized she had nowhere to run, she quickly climbed on her chair and began screaming "security" as Jacob got closer. When he was just two feet away from her, Bubba grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Jacob ripped off the shirt and revealed the words "Will you marry me" written with body paint on his scrawny torso. Screaming "I love you!" and "We're soul mates Rachel Berry!" Jacob was dragged off the stage into the hands of the policemen waiting to arrest him.

The show cut to commercial in the middle of the Jacob Ben Israel fiasco. Unfortunately for Rachel, the show was live so half the country got to witness her worst nightmare.

When the show came back, Rachel Berry had already retreated back to her dressing room. Jay Leno issued a public apology to her. "I was completely unaware that Rachel Berry has an active restraining order against the maniac that just appeared on this stage. Rachel please accept my sincerest apologies. Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming nuptials. But if things don't work out with your fiancé, you can always give Jacob a call!"

Rachel had never felt as humiliated as she did right then. She was quickly gathering up her belongings and vowed never to set foot into this studio again when there was a knock at the door. Her assistant opened the door and revealed a massive police officer holding out her tiny star patterned underwear using his pointer and thumb. "I believe these belong to you. We found them in the pocket of Jacob Ben Israel's pants when we were frisking him for weapons. He's currently in custody. Because he violated the restraining order, he will he be placed behind bars immediately. Have a good night Ms. Berry."

Hours later when Rachel Berry was in the comfort of her penthouse apartment that overlooked Central Park, she decided to relax by taking a bubble bath in her luxurious bathtub since her fiancé was out of town. However the bath did little to alleviate her from the horrific memories that kept plaguing her mind since she saw him.

*_seven years earlier*_

Rachel Berry had been staying at the Crowne Plaza in Midtown because her apartment was currently under renovation. After finishing her evening performances as Roxie, she was looking forward to taking a quick shower and getting a full night's rest. As she slid her card into the door to her room, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She instantly attributed it to her sixth sense warning her of impending doom. Reaching into her bag, she didn't open the door to her room until she had the can of pepper spray placed firmly in her hand. She slowly crept in the door and then quickly turned on the lights to her room.

Sprawled out in the center of Rachel's bed was Jacob Ben Israel dressed in nothing but a leopard thong. Rachel was taken aback at the crude sight lying before her. Jacob Ben Israel's Jew-fro seemed to have a matching companion that was currently peaking out of his leopard thong. Swallowing the vomit that threatened to meet the carpet she was currently standing on, she leapt like a ninja and sprayed Jacob Ben Israel's eyes with the pepper spray until her entire can was empty. She didn't even need to scream for help because Jacob's high pitched wail caused security to come rushing into her room. After the security guards subdued Jacob and held him in their custody, the police were called and Rachel had to recount the events that just happened prior to their arrival. They granted her an emergency restraining order against him and had the hotel switch her room to an entire different floor. The security guards that had come to her rescue introduced themselves as Bubba and Flex. They offered to patrol the hallway outside her room for the night and she happily accepted their offer.

Rachel splashed the bathwater on her face and tried to feel comforted knowing that Bubba and Flex were currently posted outside of her apartment for the night. After that dreadful night they patrolled her hallway for the rest of her stay at the hotel. She was grateful for their services and offered them a job as her personal security. They accepted her job offer and seven years later they were still working for her and once again saved her from that creep Jacob. Rachel grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself. Once she got to her bedroom she quickly put on a pair of underwear and pajamas. Laying down on her king sized bed she told herself this was just one unfortunate event and nothing else would go wrong from today till her wedding day that was set to take place in one week at the Edison Ballroom. She wasn't going to let Jacob Ben Israel ruin the happiest time in her life.

However, Rachel Berry completely underestimated the power of fate, and forgot the basis of Murphy's Law that states "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"

* * *

Next up, someone else professes their love to Rachel Berry... hint a certain boy from the Glee club. Thoughts? Please Review!


	2. Finn Ughhson

Noah Puckerman was bored out of his mind. It was a Saturday night and for the first time in ages he had absolutely no plans. Aubrey, his latest fuck buddy, was out of town so he decided to stay in. He was flipping through the channels on his gigantic flat screen TV when her image came across the screen. Rachel freaking Berry.

Puck wasn't surprised to see his ex-girlfriend on The Tonight Show; after all she was all famous and shit. Part of him wanted to change the channel; he had closed that chapter of his life, accepted she was part of his past and done his best to move on. But Puck was curious about the gorgeous woman he saw on his screen.

First of all her tits looked huge. If he didn't know her as well as he did, Puck would have thought she had gone and gotten herself some breast implants. But this was Rachel and he had heard enough of her bitching about how plastic surgery is for" talentless bimbos who had to rely on their looks to land roles" to know she would never do something like that. Then again he knew Rachel Berry as a teenager. Who knows what she was like now.

But then he heard her response to Jay Leno's question "is there anything you can't do" and deep down he knew fame and fortune hadn't changed her. Puck had spent an entire summer trying to teach her how to drive his car, which was not automatic like her tiny Prius. He was scared as shit that she was going to destroy his transmission, but he was determined to help his girl achieve the one thing she set out to learn that summer. After several failed attempts, and hundreds of quickies in his backseat, they both decided that Rachel Berry would only drive automatic cars.

Puck was in the middle of reminiscing about the times he spent teaching her how to play Guitar Hero when the camera zoomed in on her gigantic fucking ring. He knew she was engaged, fuck the whole world knew, it was the worst kept secret ever, but he couldn't quite understand why he felt like he was about to vomit the cheeseburger he had for dinner. Just then he felt as if Rachel was looking directly at him when she spoke about her fucking Prince Charming. Pictures of her and that fuckface graced the front of his television set. Okay so the dude wasn't a total fag like he thought he would be. Like seriously what straight dude actually enjoys being in a musical? He knew there was no way in hell that douchebag was doing all the dirty things Rachel Berry secretly enjoyed doing.

Puck turned his TV off when an image of them kissing from West Side Story appeared on screen. He walked over to his counter where he kept his mail and flipped through a pile until he found the envelope he was looking for. He never bothered to open it. There was no way in hell he was going to her wedding. Puck knew the only reason Rachel invited him was to appear polite. They weren't exactly friends. Shit he hadn't had an actual conversation since he broke her heart when they were both 18 years old.

Sometime around her second year of college she had emailed him saying she forgave him because being a successful performer meant she had to tap into a multitude of emotions and if he hadn't broken her heart she wouldn't have the emotional depth she had acquired that was necessary to be a performer. Puck read that email every time he logged onto his Gmail account so within a few weeks he was able to recite her speech word for word. He never replied to her email, he couldn't think of a response that didn't make him sound like an asshole. What was he supposed to say "well I'm glad I broke your heart" or "happy your broken heart worked out well for you"?

As fate would have it, he had run into Rachel Berry on several occasions. The first time happened a few years back, when Puck was an underwear model for Calvin Klein. It was New York Fashion Week and he had finally proved himself worthy of wearing actual clothes so he was strutting his stuff like the stud he knew he was down the Marc Jacobs runway when all of a sudden he could feel her presence near him. He stroke a pose and was heading back towards the curtain when he spotted her. There she was sitting front row looking absolutely beautiful. He met her eyes for a brief second and gave her a wink. She didn't come backstage like he secretly hoped she would, but that was okay because he had no idea what he would even say to her anyway.

The second time happened at the MTV Movie Awards. He was surprised when he got an invitation to the ceremony, but then he remembered this was MTV and they pretty much invited anyone, fuck even Carrot Top got an invite. Puck had branched into acting, but the movies he acted in were nowhere as good as the critically acclaimed movies Rachel Berry would ever star in. He was always cast as the asshole best friend who got all the chicks. He knew that role very well; hell he lived that role for most of his life. So Puck decided he would definitely go, after all it may be his only chance to step foot into an awards ceremony and he wasn't going to let that opportunity go to waste. He called up that Victoria Secret model he had his eyes on for awhile now, Rosie or something like that and she gladly accepted to be his date for the night.

They pulled up to the red carpet and Puck felt like the biggest rockstar. His date, Rosa or something looked sexy as hell in a dress that barely kept anything to the imagination. They took pictures together and he was thoroughly enjoying feeling like he was a real celebrity. All of a sudden he was ushered off to the side and he heard the crowd go absolutely nuts. Puck looked to his left and suddenly saw why he was pushed to the side like damaged goods. There she was again, Rachel Berry. He felt his dick get hard just from the sight of her. She wasn't dressed anywhere as trashy as his date. She had on a dress that covered the entire front of her body but was completely backless which looked sexy as hell. Rachel was doing the pose she had spent hours perfecting in front of his bedroom mirror, she had her back to the crowd and kept turning into the shots that were being taken of her. As she walked past him she smiled and he couldn't help but feel mesmerized by her. It appeared Ruth was in the middle of saying something because when he finally turned his attention back towards his date, her mouth was moving and she was looking at him. Puck apologized and asked her to repeat what she just said. Rose asked if he wanted to go back to her hotel room after the show and that completely took his mind of Rachel, for the moment anyway.

Puck stood with the invitation in his hand for a long time before he finally decided to open it and stop being a pussy. In bold letters it said:

**Your love and friendship have  
helped us become who we are.**

**Together with our parents,  
we invite you to share our joy  
and support our love,  
as we exchange vows and  
celebrate our marriage.**

**Rachel B. Berry  
and  
Winston N. Carter III **

The rest of the details didn't matter to Puck. He just wanted to confirm what he already knew. Rachel Berry was in love and getting married to a pansy. Seriously what kind of name is Winston anyway? Fine, he was a little jealous of the guy, after all he was marrying _his_ Rachel. But Puck remembered that it was his choice to make things this way, it was for the best anyway. Walking over to his balcony that overlooked the beach he crumpled the invitation and threw it as far as he could.

* * *

Rachel Berry was awoken by the sound of her iPhone ringing nonstop. She knew her appearance on _The Tonight Show_ would garner a ton of press, unfortunately for Rachel Berry, it was the kind of press she spent her entire career avoiding. Her publicist left a bunch of voicemails, each one sounding more frantic than the previous. It seemed every news outlet wanted an interview, and every gossip website had created their own elaborate story about what happened. The clip of her screaming for security and Jacob Ben Israel stripping off his shirt was currently the number one video circulating on YouTube. Rachel knew she would have to address the situation soon, but instead of thinking of a statement to release, she just wanted to focus on her lunch date with two of the former members of New Directions- Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson.

Rachel had invited all the members of New Directions (including Mr. and Mrs. Schuester) to her wedding because she still considered them family. They had all RSVP'd except for one member- Noah Puckerman. Rachel contemplated for awhile whether she should invite him or not. In the end she decided that it would appear immature and petty to invite every member except him—even if he technically did shatter her heart into a million pieces. And deep down she knew he would never accept her invitation. So when she didn't get his return card, part of her felt a bit disappointed but the greater part of her felt relieved.

Finn Hudson and Kurt Hummel had both traveled to New York a week in advance of Rachel Berry's wedding in order to go sightseeing and to fully explore the city. Rachel had extended invitations to join her for lunch at the exclusive restaurant Masa. The price of one dinner plate was about the average weekly salary of what most people made in Lima, but Rachel didn't want to spare any expense when it came to her longtime friends. She told them to meet her at 1:30pm sharp.

Bubba and Flex had to shield Rachel Berry from the hoards of paparazzi currently staked outside of her apartment. She quickly slid into the backseat of the SUV that was parked outside her apartment building. Once her driver sped off she removed her Chanel sunglasses and checked her appearance in her compact makeup mirror. She had kept her makeup simple, just some mascara and lip gloss, and put her hair into a messy bun. Rachel wore a casual Lanvin star-print t-shirt dress, nude Jimmy Choo ballerina flats, and carried a black Balenciaga handbag.

Rachel's driver pulled into the underground parking garage of the Time Warner Center building where Masa was located. Bubba opened the door for Rachel and together he and Flex escorted her towards the elevator. Once they had deemed the restaurant safe, Bubba and Flex were off duty and were free to leave. Rachel was happy she chose Masa because its exclusiveness meant that only twenty-six guests were able to dine at a time and because she was such a frequent customer, the restaurant had closed its services to outside guests for two hours.

Rachel was just about to text Finn and Kurt when she spotted Finn's lanky body walking towards her table carrying a gift bag. She quickly got up and gave him a hug. After exchanging hellos, she asked where Kurt was because he was nowhere to be found.

"Oh umm, something came up with one of his suppliers, he said he's very sorry but wanted me to give this to you", Finn handed her the gift bag and continued speaking, "he said it's your something blue, whatever that means". Rachel was happy to see Finn but felt a bit let down that Kurt couldn't make it for lunch. He was currently an up and coming designer with a boutique in Miami, Florida. Rachel had worn his designs on a few occasions and it helped send his sales through the roof. But she understood that business was business and they would just have to meet for lunch at another time when they both had free time.

When they were seated, a waitress brought them a menu and asked what they wanted to drink. Rachel asked for a glass of water with lemon. Finn however asked for the best bottle of Sake. Rachel thought it was strange that Finn would want to drink alcohol so early in the day but he appeared nervous so she attributed to the fact that she was a celebrity and he needed to calm his nerves.

Rachel decided to break the ice by asking Finn about his life back in Lima. Finn smiled and said "Well Rachel my life is nowhere as exciting as yours. I run Burt's garage since he's the governor of Ohio now. We've expanded to a few locations so business is pretty good"

"Wow Finn, that's amazing! I'm so happy business has been good to you. I know the economy right now isn't too kind to small businesses like Burt's but it's great that you've been able to keep it successful"

Just then the waitress brought over the drinks. Because Rachel was a vegan, Chef Masa was creating a custom dish of sautéed cilantro tofu with shitake mushrooms as her main course. Finn was having a hard time making a selection because nothing looked familiar to him. "Umm do you guys serve steak?"

Lisa, their waitress responded, "Sure! You can have the 6oz. Victoria soy steak that's served with soup, sunomono salad, and rice! Can I get you an appetizer? Rachel Chef Masa is cooking vegetable dumplings and creamy tofu with avocado for you"

Rachel smiled and thanked her, while once again Finn was having a difficult time choosing an appetizer. Frustrated he picked the one name that he had actually heard before. "I'll have the caviar"

Lisa grabbed his menu and smiled, "Great! The 8 pieces of masa toro with caviar roll for you sir. Anything else?"

Finn felt relieved to have gotten his order over with and just smiled and nodded his head no. Lisa smiled at them and walked back towards the kitchen to place their orders. Finn decided not to wait for their food to open the bottle of Sake. He had a few Sake bombs before but never a bottle. He opened the bottle and looked around for a normal glass.

"Hey Rach, you think you can finish up your water so I can use your glass to pour my drink in?" Rachel looked confused for a second and then laughed. "Finn these small black cups are what you're supposed to pour it in"

Finn blushed and said "oh my bad. I thought these cups were for decoration". He wasted no time in filling his cup, drinking it, refilling it, and drinking a full cup once again. Rachel glanced over at Finn and realized this was not a good idea. Sure he was a large man who could handle his alcohol, but she had seen what Sake could do to a person, and she was beginning to worry that the power of Sake would control Finn in a matter of minutes.

Finn gave Rachel a goofy smile, "Rach, you've always believed in me. Sometimes when the stress of running the garage gets to me I just think WWRBD and it helps get me through the day."

Rachel asked, "What does WWRBD mean, is that some sort of slang?"

Finn replied, "No silly! It means "what would Rachel Berry do", duh!"

Rachel smiled, "that's really sweet Finn, but I assure you I have absolutely no experience in running such a lucrative automotive repair facility. But if—"

Finn cut her off. "What happened to us Rachel? When I first joined the Glee club you were all over me and then all of a sudden one day you're dating Puck which I knew was a bad idea, I mean what did you expect from a loser like him?"

"FINN! Noah is not a loser, and I will not sit here and defend myself from a past relationship that is frankly none of your business! I do not feel comfortable having this conversation with you." Rachel was livid, the nerve of Finn!

Finn went to stand up, but didn't see Lisa approaching the table. Right as he lifted himself up, his head made contact with Lisa's tray, causing their appetizers and two glasses of water to go propelling onto Lisa's head and body. Lisa was completely drenched in water and covered in sauce and food.

Finn began apologizing profusely to both Rachel and Lisa. "Rachel I was standing up to apologize to you for being out of line. I had no idea Lisa was behind me. Lisa you should really wear a bell or something to warn me that you're getting near. Does this mean we have to wait another 20 minutes for food? I'm starving—"

"Finn stop talking! Lisa I am so sorry, I will pay for an entire new outfit and for your hair to be professionally styled at any salon of your choosing. I assure you that my friend is just clumsy, this was not intentional at all!" Rachel was mortified. She had been here many times before and had never caused a scene. She thanked her lucky stars that no other guests were around.

Lisa smiled at Rachel, "It's okay, honestly this isn't the first time this has happened to me. I have a change of clothes in the back for this very reason. I will place an order for new appetizers first and then go change. Chef Masa will be out shortly to greet you".

Rachel looked over at Finn. He had poured himself another cup of Sake but was drinking it slowly. He met her glance, "Rach I'm so sorry I embarrassed you. It's just I hate making you upset. I'm sorry I brought up Puck, won't happen again I promise!"

"It's okay Finn, let's just talk about something else. So do you still sing?" Rachel had absolutely no idea what conversation she should have with the man sitting across from her. It saddened her to think that they really had nothing in common anymore.

"Yeah all the time! I actually have my own band! I'm the lead singer of course and Artie plays guitar." Finn looked really proud of his band.

"Really? That's great Finn! Where do you guys perform?" asked Rachel.

"Umm mostly in my garage but once we performed for a bar mitzvah!". Finn smiled to himself, he knew that would definitely impress Rachel.

Lisa yelled out, "coming through" as she was approaching their table. Rachel was relieved to have food in front of her. It meant their strained conversation would be placed on hold, for the moment anyway.

"Wow this tastes really good! What is caviar made from anyway?" asked Finn.

"Fish eggs", Rachel automatically answered. Her eyes were still glued on her amazing appetizers. The dumplings were delicious!

Finn spat out the food he was chewing onto a napkin. "Eww! I can't eat this! Rach can I have some of your dumplings? I'm starving and I can't eat my food".

Rachel was quickly losing her patience. She decided to remain calm because she knew once this lunch was over she would never have to subject herself into having another lunch with Finn again. "Sure Finn, I have plenty, help yourself".

Finn grabbed a few dumplings and placed them on his plate. "Mmm, these are really good! Thanks Rachel you're the best!" Rachel smiled and was happy that they were finally eating in a comfortable silence.

"Rachel, I love you".

And just like that Finn ruined Rachel's appetite.

"Finn surely you don't mean you're in love with me. That's absurd! You love me as a person right? Right?" Rachel was desperate to make light of the situation.

"No Rachel Berry, I am madly in love with you. I begged Kurt not to come and bribed him by promising to name my first born after him. Which I'm hoping will be our baby. We're meant to be Rachel, I can feel it, can't you?" Finn was staring intensely at her waiting for an answer.

Luckily for Rachel, she was saved by the Masa. Chef Masa greeted Rachel and proceeded to tell her how wonderful she looked. Finn shook hands with the chef and agreed with him. "Yes Rachel always looks beautiful, some things never change".

Rachel Berry wanted to die of humiliation. She made a mental note that if she survived the rest of the lunch without committing a felony she would look into inventing a teleporting machine exclusively made to rescue her from situations like this.

After some small talk Chef Masa excused himself to finish their courses which would be ready for them shortly. Finn looked expectantly at Rachel.

"Finn, there's really no easy way to say this. You're a wonderful man who I know will make a wonderful husband someday, but I fully intend on marrying my fiancé on Saturday. I would still love for you to come to my wedding, but understand completely if you no longer feel comfortable attending".

Finn gave her a sad smile, "it's okay Rachel, I knew winning your heart was a long shot but it was worth the risk in trying. Your fiancé is a lucky man; I care too much about you to let my feelings for you get in the way of your happiness. I will most definitely be at your wedding"

Rachel was relieved that Finn handled her rejection of him so well. Lisa came back with their food sporting a new hairstyle and outfit. They thanked her and were eager to eat their main courses.

Things went smoothly as they ate their food. They talked fondly about their memories of being in the Glee club and talked about their former classmates. They weren't surprised that Santana Lopez was now a celebrity, famous for really nothing in particular. She had a reality show, her own production company, a perfume, and clothing line. Apparently her sex tape with Brittany propelled her into stardom. They talked about everyone except one person in particular. Finn Hudson learned the hard way that talking about Noah Puckerman was completely off limits.

Rachel was ecstatic that her lunch with Finn Hudson was ending on a good note. However, it seemed Rachel's sixth sense had no way of warning her of the chain of events about to unfold.

Lisa brought over the bill to Rachel and walked away. Finn instantly grabbed the bill away from Rachel. "Listen Rach, I know I kinda messed up our lunch so please let me pay for lunch, it's the least I can do"

Rachel quickly shook her head, "no Finn I invited you here, I insist on paying for our lunch. You flew all the way over here for my wedding; please don't fight me on this"

Finn complained, "no but Rachel I need to make this up to you, it can't be that much anyway. All you ate were like vegetables". Just then Finn glanced at the bill.

**Masa toro with caviar roll (8 pieces) $240**

**Creamy tofu with avocado 18**

**Vegetable dumplings 18**

**Cilantro tofu with shitake mushrooms 34**

**Victoria soy steak 6oz. 68**

**Sake: Kikuhime, Ishikawa 1200**

**1578.00**

**Tax: 126.24**

**Gratuity: 394.50**

**Total: $2098.74**

"Whoa! I think they made a mistake on the bill Rach! Back in Lima a bottle of Sake would cost like $40. And there's no way caviar costs that much! I mean how much could fish eggs possibly cost? And it says here something about ordering gratuity, I know for sure neither one ordered that!"

Rachel was trying her best to keep her composure. "Finn gratuity means tip. And there's nothing wrong with the prices on the receipt. This is a well established restaurant and the quality of food is worth the hefty prices. I invited you here so I will be paying for lunch, your presence at my wedding will be enough to forget any misunderstandings we may have had today"

Finn wasn't faltering in his mission to pay for lunch. "Look they take credit card here right? I can just have her charge all four of my credit cards and that should be able to cover it!"

Rachel smiled at Finn, "please let me cover lunch. I'm so happy I got to see you. How about you cover lunch next time I visit Lima?"

Finn seemed pleased with this arrangement. They got up and thanked Lisa and Chef Masa for their excellent services. They were headed towards the door when Finn said he forgot something. He ran back to their table and drank the last bit of Sake. He figured he would drink their money's worth of it considering it was so expensive.

He caught up to Rachel and as they were hugging goodbye he muttered "oh no". Suddenly Rachel felt a sensation of warmth all over her face and body. She was covered literally head to toe in Finn's vomit.

* * *

Later that night after Rachel had taken approximately eight showers in a row to get the stench and feeling of Finn's vomit off of her, she sat down and decided to open the gift Kurt had gotten her. She squealed when she unwrapped the shoe box and saw a pair of blue Manolo Blahnik pumps that were the exact pair Carrie Bradshaw had wore on her wedding day. Trying them on, she strutted down her bedroom until she reached her full length mirror. All of a sudden she heard a snap and proceeded to fall face first into her hardwood floor. Sitting up Rachel Berry let out a warrior cry as she realized she was looking down not only at a broken shoe, but the remnants of her front tooth.

* * *

A/N: Can we all just take a moment to picture Noah Puckerman as an underwear model?

Okay moment over.

If any of you are curious about the clothes or places mentioned in the story let me know. I have visuals for pretty much everything Rachel wears and everywhere she goes.

Next Chapter, more chaos for Rachel as someone else professes their love for her and more things start to go wrong. Thoughts, opinions? Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Quinn Fabgay

Rachel Berry was looking at her reflection in the large mirror in her bridal room. Louise had styled her hair perfectly into a simple updo that was swept to the side. Drita had applied her makeup immaculately so she was very satisfied with her appearance. Her stylist, Dapphiney helped her put on her wedding dress that Vera Wang created just for her. It was a strapless sweetheart mermaid gown that made Rachel feel like a princess. She put on the blue Manolo Blahnik pumps Kurt had given her and the jewelry Cartier had sent over as a wedding present. Her stylist helped her apply her veil, and made sure she was styled impeccably. She made her way towards the staircase and with the help of Dapphiney was able to get to the landing without falling or tripping over her dress.

The band then began playing the instrumentals to the song she had chosen to walk down the aisle. Dapphiney put the veil over her face and her dads Leroy and Hiram, both stood at each of her sides and looped their arms with hers. Dapphiney handed her the bouquet of white roses she had chosen and whispered "good luck".

Rachel Berry couldn't help but think that everything was absolutely perfect as she walked down the aisle. Her veil shielded from seeing pretty much everything around her but she could make out the tall figure standing at the end of the aisle and that was all she needed to see. When she got to the end of the aisle she kissed both her fathers and they took their seats. Her groom slowly lifted the veil from her face. She was expecting to meet the gaze of the blue eyes that she had grown accustomed to when to her surprise she was left staring at a pair of familiar hazel eyes.

Noah held her hands and stared into her eyes, while giving her the smile that had always melted her heart. He mouthed "I love you" to her and she felt her eyes start to water. When it was time to say their vows, Noah looked at Rachel and said:

"Rachel, I have loved you for half my life. From the moment I met you I knew you were special and that you were destined to be a star. Well I was right; you are a star, my star. You are the shining light of my life; you make my days brighter and give me hope when things seem gloomy. No matter where this life takes us I know our love will always bring us back together because we are meant to be. Rachel— open your eyes."

Just then Rachel closed her eyes and opened them again. Only this time Noah wasn't dressed in a tuxedo anymore. He was dressed in a white speedo with a ribbon on it. He was a tooth fairy.

"Rachel open your eyes, it's Doctor Powell"

Rachel opened her eyes and saw her dentist Dr. Powell looking down at her with a concerned look. Instinctively she reached for her front teeth and was relieved to feel both teeth in place.

Dr. Powell smiled at Rachel, "you're a lucky woman Rachel. You came in just enough time that I was able to set your tooth back in place. I didn't need to use a prosthetic tooth. I gave you some nitrous oxide so I could work on your tooth without you feeling discomfort, but it seemed like you had quite the hallucination. Are you feeling okay?"

Rachel felt her cheeks get warm with embarrassment. "Yes doctor I'm fine. This isn't the first time this has happened to me. But I am eternally grateful for your services. I can't imagine having to look like a hillbilly on my wedding day!"

Dr. Powell laughed and gave Rachel instructions on how to keep her tooth in place and the foods to avoid. She thanked him again and made her way to the lobby of the building to wait for her driver to pull up. While walking towards the lobby she briefly remembered when Carl gave her laughing gas in high school and how she had imagined she was Britney Spears. Noah had loved when she dressed up as Britney and they had spent a few weeks role playing as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

Rachel felt as if the wind had gotten knocked out of her. Noah. The vision she had of their wedding day. It was all too much for her to process. Rachel knew it wasn't real, but she couldn't get Noah's words out of her head. What if they were meant to be? What if she was marrying the wrong man? Her dream wedding to Noah was absolutely perfect, how will her real wedding measure up? Rachel realized she was just being silly. She shouldn't let a dream get to her. She was marrying Winston whom she loved very much in four days and their wedding will be everything she hoped it would be and more.

Rachel couldn't wait for Winston to get back home from the promotional tour he was currently on promoting their Broadway show while it was on hiatus for the next two weeks. He'd be home in two days just in time for their rehearsal dinner. She decided she would give him a call and then go to sleep, it was a long and eventful day, and she was desperate to put it all behind her.

* * *

Rachel was running late to the final fitting of her dress. She had tossed and turned all night, completely unable to get a good night's rest. It seemed like every time she closed her eyes, she kept seeing _his _face. The same face that haunted her enough while she was awake. It seemed like every billboard in Manhattan was plastered with his naked body, seriously those "briefs" or whatever they call them did nothing to conceal the weapon he had underneath them. It was bad enough that having sex with Puck was pretty much the highlight of her entire sexual history, but Rachel was convinced that having to be completely inundated with images of Puck sprawled out on a bed with his smoldering eyes, perfect bone structure, and bronzed skin was considered cruel and unusual punishment in some countries.

Because Rachel was running so late, her bridesmaids had already completed their final fittings and were already gone from the Vera Wang Bridal House. Rachel was actually relieved that she didn't have to deal with the twelve women who were in her bridal party. Half of them were relatives or friends of her fiancé, and the other half were just associates. If the dresses weren't custom made and didn't require countless number of fittings, she would have just picked all the ladies from her old glee club. After all the years they were still her closest friends. They didn't always get along, but after Puck obliterated her heart they all banded together and helped her get through the worst period of her life.

Luckily, her maid of honor was waiting for her at the boutique. Rachel was so happy to see her best friend, she was the only person she could speak to about all the conflicting feelings she was currently bombarded with. Rachel's driver pulled up to the bridal house and Rachel thanked him and told him to take a break because she was probably going to be there awhile. She quickly exited the SUV and entered into Vera Wang's beautiful showroom. The staff greeted her and led her into the private area where she felt was quickly becoming her second home because of the amount of time she spent there. Just then her maid of honor came out of the fitting room wearing the beautiful charcoal draped satin dress with black grosgrain sash Rachel had spent months designing with Vera Wang. Quinn Fabray looked absolutely stunning.

"Quinn, you look gorgeous! All eyes are going to be on you instead of me, maybe I should pick another dress for you", Rachel joked.

Quinn smiled at her best friend, "oh please Rach, I couldn't outshine you even if I tried my best. And I'm smart enough to know you never upstage the bride, I've dealt with enough homicide cases to know it's not a good idea"

"That reminds me Quinn, do you think you can take one last look at the prenuptial agreement? I know it's silly but you and my dads have convinced me that although I fully believe in the sanctity of marriage, protecting my assets is just a precaution and does not at all mean I am doubting that my union with Winston will be anything less than successful—"

"Rachel breathe! I will take a look tonight, but I can assure you I've literally spent days perfecting the agreement and making sure the terms are flawless and to your upmost satisfaction. I would never set you up for failure, I only want the best for you, you know that don't you?'

Rachel looked at Quinn and gave her a beaming smile, "of course I know, that's why you're my maid of honor and my best friend. Thank you for always looking out for me"

Rachel still found it ironic that the person who used to make her life a living hell was someone she now couldn't imagine living without. They had spent several weekends hanging out while Quinn was in Yale, and Rachel in Nyada, but it wasn't until Quinn graduated at the top of her class and moved to NYC to attend law school at Columbia University that they really started to bond. They were roommates up until Quinn graduated law school and found an apartment of her own, walking distance from Rachel's of course. Now Quinn Fabray was working for a large law firm in Wall Street, her specialty being International Law.

Just then Jillian, one of the consultants, brought over a bottle of champagne and placed two glasses on the table near the sitting area. "If you ladies need anything, please do not hesitate to call. I'll give you some privacy, Rachel your dress will be ready for you to try on in just a few moments. Vera is finishing up a business call".

Rachel and Quinn smiled and thanked her. Quinn was eager to get out of the satin confinement and told Rachel she would be out in a moment. Rachel took a seat and poured a glass of champagne for herself.

Rachel was lost in thought when Quinn finally came out of the fitting booth. Quinn noticed right away that something was wrong. "Rachel, is something bothering you? I know that look very well, are you still thinking about Jacob Ben Israel?"

Rachel quickly shook her head no. "Quinn, I have something to tell you but I have no idea how to even begin"

Quinn took Rachel's hands and smiled at her, "we're best friends, I will never betray your trust, you can tell me anything, and I promise I won't judge you".

Rachel put her glass down and turned towards Quinn. "Lately I've been having these feelings that I know I should definitely not be having. I mean I don't even understand why feel this way, the thoughts I'm having, they're not the kind of thoughts I should have towards this person! I'm just so confused, oh gosh Quinn if I tell you who I'm having these thoughts about you'll probably never look at me the same again. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I might be in love with—"

Rachel was interrupted by a kiss to the lips, courtesy of Quinn Fabray.

"Rachel you have no idea how long I've waited for you to say those words. I knew one day you would come to your senses which is why I worked so hard to make sure your pre-nup is iron clad. I didn't care how long I had to wait; you're worth waiting for Rachel. I know it's scary at first accepting the truth. I spent a long time trying to justify the feelings I have for you were just because you're my best friend. You were the first person I thought of when I woke up and the last person I thought of when I would fall asleep. And then when we went to Cabo and I saw you in that bikini and felt my nipples go hard I knew right then and there I shouldn't react that way to someone I just felt friendship for. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I just know you're the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you too Rachel"

Rachel was frozen in shock. She had no idea how to respond. She felt like she did twenty years ago when her fathers told her Santa Claus wasn't real. A mixture of emotions she felt, mostly of disbelief and pure surprise.

"Quinn… I think you're amazing. But I think there has been a huge misunderstanding. I love you, but not the way you think I do. I love you but I'm sorry, I'm not in love with you". Rachel choked back tears, she felt like the worst friend on the planet.

Quinn looked at Rachel and her hazel eyes flashed green with anger. "Is this some sort of cruel joke or something? You tell me you love me and then tell me you don't mean it?"

Rachel quickly responded, "no Quinn I would never play with your emotions like that! I had absolutely no idea you felt this way about me. You didn't let me finish earlier, I wasn't trying to insinuate that I have romantic feelings toward you, I'm so sorry my words were misleading"

Quinn stood up and placed her hand on her forehead, "Fine I could deal with you not having feelings for me. But I know you sure as hell don't love that man you're marrying. You could play house with him and pretend he's the person that's going to make you happy for the rest of your life but we both know that's not true. You're settling Rachel, just admit it already. Are you really going to go through with this wedding?"

Rachel couldn't bring herself to look Quinn in the eyes. Staring at her feet she replied, "I'm not sure Quinn. I mean part of me feels like he has the ability to make me genuinely happy. But I think it's my fault that I haven't opened up my heart to him fully. He comes home tomorrow, I think after I see him all this doubt will just vanish. Isn't having cold feet a normal experience for any bride to have?

Quinn gathered up her belongings and headed towards the door. Before leaving she turned towards Rachel, "I'm sorry Rachel I can't watch you marry someone I know isn't the right person for you. I'm not going to lie, part of me wishes you would just give me the chance to make you happy because I know I can. And because of that I don't think it's fair to either of us for me to be your maid of honor"

Rachel was about to run after her, but Vera Wang herself entered the room. "Hello Rachel, you look upset, are you not pleased with the bridesmaids' dresses?"

Rachel tried her best to compose herself, "oh no the dresses are absolutely lovely. I am very pleased with the expertise of your work. I cannot wait to try on my dress!"

Vera Wang signaled for her assistants to bring in the dress for Rachel to try on. She escorted Rachel into the dressing room and helped her get into the heavy gown she had created. Rachel opened the curtain and stood in the center of the room looking at herself through every mirror and angle. The dress was absolutely perfect! At least one thing in her life was going right. Rachel turned around and went to take a step off the stage she was currently standing on when her heel caught the train of her dress. "Oh no not my tooth again", Rachel thought. She quickly regained her balance and was proud she was able to divert yet another crisis.

Suddenly Vera Wang began yelling in Chinese and pointing at the train of Rachel's dress. Rachel turned around and tried to see what all the commotion was about when she saw the evidence of why she was able to gain her balance so fast. Her heel had ripped a massive slit down the train of her dress. She felt light headed and then the blackness overtook her sight.

* * *

Rachel opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. All she saw were flashing lights and heard the sound of a siren. It then dawned on her that she was in an ambulance. She tried to sit up but found she was unable to move due to the restraints currently keeping her secure on the stretcher.

A paramedic smiled said, "Ms. Berry it appears you fainted in the boutique you were in. We're taking you to the hospital to run some tests, and some x-rays because you hit your head pretty hard. We also want to make sure there are no underlying health issues that caused you to faint. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was trying on my wedding dress and something happened. Oh no my beautiful dress is ruined!" Rachel was distraught. No maid of honor, no dress, her wedding was completely falling apart.

"Ms. Wang made me promise that I would give you a message from her. She said not to worry about your dress that she would work all night if it took that long to fix it"

Rachel looked at his name tag and smiled, "Thank you John, I feel somewhat relieved. By any chance, were there any paparazzi around when you arrived?"

John avoided her eyes, "Um Ms. Berry I don't think it's good for you to stress yourself more than you have already. We're almost at the hospital; let's focus on getting you out of there as soon as possible!"

Seven hours later Rachel was finally back home. She put on the TV in hopes of finding something that would distract her from the mess that had become her life. Luckily she hadn't injured herself and the doctors were able to give her a clean bill of health.

She put on the news and stared in disbelief at the image of her being taken away on the hospital stretcher and the bulletin that followed. "Broadway star Rachel Berry was rushed to the emergency room this evening. It is unclear at the moment the exact reason for her emergency but sources close to the star believe she is being treated for a possible drug overdose. Story developing"

Rachel shut off her TV and cell phone. She had already reached out to her loved ones so they were all aware of her situation. She knew the tabloids were going to have a field day speculating what caused her emergency, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Rachel had more important things to focus on like finding a new maid of honor and making sure her wedding arrangements were perfected.

Tomorrow was her rehearsal dinner and finally the day when she would be reunited with her fiancé. Rachel walked over to her balcony and made a wish on the star she saw that things would go smoothly for her tomorrow, because frankly she couldn't bear for things not to.

* * *

A/N: So I initially planned for this story to be longer, but because of the lack of positive feedback, I think I only have one chapter left in me. I kind of lost interest in writing this story so special thanks to Agatha for being my motivation!

Thanks to all who have read & reviewed!


	4. Wedding Rehearsehell

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. Your kind words gave me the push to continue. I hope this story continues to meet your expectations.

Because I am a huge fan of The Notebook, both the novel and movie, the next two chapters are going to include some references. I tried so hard not include any direct quotes, but somehow it just works for the story. All the credit goes to Nicholas Sparks for some of the quotes I borrowed.

* * *

_One year earlier_

It was already show number 452, but playing Maria still took an emotional toll on Rachel Berry. She had just finished Act 2 and was still reeling from the death of her Tony. Rachel connected to this role, more so than any other she had ever had the opportunity to play. Something about the loss of a great love was all too real for her. As she made her way to the center of the stage to take a bow, tears kept streaming down her face. She hadn't even noticed Winston when he approached her. Rachel was facing the crowd when Winston began speaking into the microphone. She quickly turned towards his direction. Rachel could barely focus on what he was saying, but after a few seconds it hit her like a ton of bricks that this man she had only been dating for a few months now was going to propose to her.

Winston knelt down on one knee, looked at her and said the words every girl dreams about hearing their whole life: "Rachel Berry, will you marry me?"

She loved him, but couldn't understand why at the moment she said yes, Noah's face came to mind.

* * *

Rachel was currently in Louise's hair salon. She needed to retouch her highlights and didn't want to do it on the actual day of her wedding which was tomorrow. She didn't have any plans until the evening for her wedding rehearsal because she had canceled all previous interviews and meetings. Winston was coming home in the afternoon so it gave Rachel plenty of time to groom herself. Rachel wanted to focus on her wedding arrangements and decided to take a self imposed vow of silence so that she didn't have to hear any more proclamations of love thrown at her. She decided she would only talk when absolutely necessary, similar to when she was preparing for her Nyada audition.

Lousie currently had on the E! channel because she was absolutely obsessed with the Kardashians. Rachel hated them, but because she couldn't speak she was forced to watch the toddler like banter the three sisters were engaged in. Louise told Rachel to call her in twenty minutes so she could wash out the dye in her hair because she had to tend to another customer. After what felt like a lifetime, the show finally ended and E news was next. Just as she predicted, her emergency room visit was a focal point of the show so Rachel zoned out and was instead looking at the time on her phone. Just five more minutes until she could call for Louise, and by call she meant literally, she would call her phone, not shout across the room.

She was counting down the minutes when she heard _his_ voice come from the television. She looked up and there he was getting interviewed by Ryan Seacrest. Apparently he had landed the lead role in the new Michael Bay movie that was about to go into production. They talked about what the movie was going to be about—aliens, guns, and explosions. Rachel was happy for Noah, this was a major break for him and she knew he would be proud to put his "guns" to use in a movie like this. But she wasn't prepared for Ryan Seacrest's next question.

"Now Noah, I mean Puck as you like being called, I hear you once dated the lovely and talented Rachel Berry and you both were each other's first love. How do you feel about her upcoming wedding? Are there any hard feelings?"

Rachel held her breath waiting to hear his reply. Noah looked completely taken aback by the question, but smiled and looked into the camera:

"If you want me to be completely honest, for me, love like that has only happened once, and that's why every minute we spent together has been seared in my memory. I'll never forget a single moment of it. But I know what we had is in the past now and I am very happy for her to have found love again. I only wish her the best. I hope to someday find love again as well, as of the moment I am single".

The camera went back to Ryan, "You hear that ladies? Noah Puckerman is officially America's number one bachelor!" Turning to Puck, "Thank you very much for coming on the show today, I wish you continued success, and I hope some lucky lady out there is watching this and makes you fall in love all over again!"

Rachel stared at the television in absolute shock. Out of all the replies Noah could have given, she never expected to hear something so sweet and profound come out of his mouth. Okay deep down she knew he had that side to him, she just never expected him to show the rest of the world the Noah she knew. Perhaps his management team had something to with it, but she knew he would never allow someone else dictate the person he was. She suspected that the only reason it took him so many years to be a household name is because he refused to listen to anyone's career advice but his own. But that was one of the biggest reasons why she had loved him. Because he didn't aim to please everyone else, he was always himself. And the person he was, was unlike any other man she had ever met.

Rachel was replaying Noah's words over and over again in her head when Louise's scream brought her back to reality. Louise came running over and yelled, "Why didn't you call me? It's been 45 minutes Rachel! Let's hope you still have hair underneath all that foil!"

Rachel looked down at her phone and to her horror, 45 minutes had passed. She let out the first word that came to mind "Motherfucker". It was the only the second time in her life she had ever allowed herself to swear.

* * *

Rachel was waiting for Winston to come home so he could quickly get ready for their rehearsal dinner at The Plaza Hotel. His flight was delayed three hours so they were cutting it close to their reservations.

Because Quinn had dropped out as her maid of honor and wasn't returning any of her phone calls, emails, texts, faxes, or facebook messages, Rachel had no choice but to find a replacement. In this case, the duty fell on to the person who fit Quinn's dress best. Rachel felt like this was a modern day Cinderella story. The person who fit the dress got all the glitz and glamour that came along with being the maid of honor of a celebrity.

Out of her wedding party, only one female fit the dress perfectly. That person happened to be someone Rachel truly did not get along with and who she had only asked to participate because her fiancé convinced her it was proper etiquette to invite the second lead of their play. So Karen Olivio, who played Anita in their musical, was now Rachel Berry's maid of honor.

Rachel paced back and forth in her apartment, becoming quickly impatient with how fast time was going by. She heard the front door open and quickly ran to greet her fiancé. Winston walked through the door and gave her a kiss as soon as they were reunited. His breath smelled awful so Rachel tried her best not to gag. Distancing herself, she walked towards their bedroom and shouted that she had set his clothes on the bed and that he should quickly freshen up so they could leave.

"Don't worry babe! I'm not going to bother showering; I'll do it when we get back. I know how important this dinner is to you".

Rachel didn't think she should have to convince a grown man that he should shower so she tried her best to persuade him without being completely obvious. "Are you sure hunny? We still have some time before we have to leave. I wouldn't mind if you just wanted to take a quick shower and brush your teeth"

Winston smiled at her, "that's one of the reasons why I love you so much. Because you're always so considerate of others. I'm just going to get dressed quickly, you can wait for me in the lobby if you want, I'll only be a minute".

Rachel decided to pack some breath mints in her purse, which should at least help the odor somewhat. She never had this issue with Noah; he always kept himself groomed and meticulously clean. That was another reason why they worked so well together. Rachel gave herself a mental scolding for thinking about Noah.

Winston and Rachel were finally in the backseat of their SUV and headed to the Plaza. Winston turned to Rachel and said, "something looks different about you, did you do something new with your hair?'. Rachel subconsciously reached for the wig that was currently playing the role of her hair. She prayed that it would stay in place for the night. Her real hair luckily did not fall out, but it was a hideous shade of orange, and because of the damage she had to wait at least 24 hours to dye it again without risking the chance of losing it all completely.

"I actually made it a little darker, do you like it?" Rachel asked.

"I think it looks sexy, black is definitely a good choice. It's about time you made a change", Winston replied.

"You could say that again" Rachel mumbled.

"Did you say something dear? Let me move closer to you, I don't why you're sitting so far in the first place!" Winston slid over close to Rachel and put his arm around her. "I missed you so much". He began kissing her face and when he got towards her mouth, Rachel pulled back and said, "My makeup! I'm sorry but I don't want to show up looking disheveled, it's bad enough half our guests think I tried to kill myself yesterday". Winston looked at her sympathetically, "don't worry my love; I'm sure nobody truly thinks that! You're marrying me after all, why on Earth would anyone want to rid themselves at the once in a lifetime opportunity?"

Rachel waited for Winston to laugh so she knew he was joking, but apparently he was truly that arrogant. Noah used to say things like that all the time but she knew for sure he was just trying to make her laugh by acting conceited. She slapped herself on the forehead, "ugh Rachel stop comparing them" she thought. Winston looked at her like she grew two heads, "is everything okay?"

She nodded yes, because she didn't trust herself to speak at the moment. She was afraid she would say something that would hurt his feelings, or worse end their engagement. Their driver pulled up to the hotel, and Winston quickly jumped out, ready to flash a smile for the waiting paparazzi. Rachel's sixty year old driver turned around and looked at her, "If things don't work out with that douchebag, you can always give me a call"

Rachel smiled and quickly exited the car.

The wedding rehearsal surprisingly went well. They went through the entire ceremony without any issues. They finally got to the dinner part of the night and everyone was enjoying their food. All that was left were the toasts that the best man and maid of honor had to deliver. Winston's brother gave a heartfelt speech despite only meeting on very few occasions. Rachel felt grateful that she got along so well with Winston's family. The maid of honor speech was next and Rachel was nervous to hear what Karen was going to say.

Karen smiled at everyone and stood up. "I've had the honor of performing next to Winston and Rachel for several months now. I see them more than I see my own family, and because of that I consider them both very close and dear to me. As everyone can see they are truly a beautiful couple inside and out. Winston, you are very lucky to have such a talented gorgeous woman in your life"

Rachel smiled and felt relieved, however her happiness was short lived when Karen said the next line in her speech.

"Rachel, I just want you to know I view you as a sister to me. And because of that I hope you'll let me help you overcome your drug issues. To the happy couple, cheers!"

Rachel quickly stood up, and leaned over towards Karen, "how dare you accuse me of having a drug issue! I'll have you know I've never touched a cigarette, let alone the nose candy you love to sniff!"

"RACHEL! Your hair is on fire!" yelled Winston.

Rachel hadn't realized that she had leaned over a candle. She quickly took her wig off and put it in the pitcher of water that was on the table. "It's okay everyone! My real hair is fine!"

Everyone gasped in horror at the sight of Rachel's orange hair.

Rachel was completely embarrassed because she forgot why she had on the wig on in the first place. "Well my hair will be fine tomorrow I mean, enjoy your night everyone! See you all at the wedding tomorrow!"

* * *

Because Rachel was becoming more and more superstitious, she insisted that she stayed at the Plaza and Winston stay at their apartment. She figured she didn't need any more bad luck as it was. Rachel kissed Winston goodbye and proceeded to her room to brush the taste of Winston's funk out of her mouth. She sure hoped he would rinse with mouthwash tomorrow.

* * *

Up Next? Rachel's wedding day of course! And do i smell a Puckleberry reunion? Perhaps!

If there is anything you wish to see feel free to share =)


	5. Noah Puckerman

Rachel woke up to the sound of her hotel phone ringing incessantly. She tried to ignore it for as long as her mind would allow her to, but the noise was just unbearable now. Rolling over she yelled into the phone, her voice sounding like she just smoked a pack of cigarettes, "hello"? "Good morning Ms. Berry, front desk calling for your 5am wake up call. I'm afraid it's now 6:45am, I've been calling you non-stop".

Rachel quickly sat up in bed. "Oh my sweet Barbra Streisand, thank you very much"! Rachel quickly hung up the phone and jumped into the shower. After a quick ice cold shower to wake her up she glanced into the mirror and was taken aback by her horrid appearance. She had terrible bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, her complexion was uneven with what looked like a heat rash all over her cheeks, and her hair looked even more orange than the night before.

Rachel exited the bathroom and glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand. 7:00am, she only had 4 hours until she had to be at the wedding venue. 5 hours until she was officially Mrs. Carter III. A wave of nausea hit Rachel and she sprinted to the toilet as fast as possible, nearly missing her target by the urgency to puke her brains out. She blamed the need to vomit on her nerves, but she was puzzled as to why she was so nervous. She'd never experienced stage fright, so she imagined that's how most of her peers felt before a big performance. Pulling herself together she dialed her glam squad. Rachel knew it would take nothing short of a miracle to make her look like the beautiful bride she'd always fantasized about when dreaming of her wedding.

At 11:15am Rachel arrived at the Edison Ballroom. Rachel could have chosen any place in the world to get hitched but chose this venue because of it's history and ties to Broadway. She figured she was combining both her loves- the man she was marrying and her purpose in life- Broadway so it made perfect sense. But looking down from the balcony made her question whether it was a good idea to pick a place that allowed her to send out 500 invitations. Pushing all negative thoughts to the side she made her way towards her bridal room to make all the final touches.

Rachel was just about to enter the room when a familiar voice shook her to the core.

"You look stunning Rach, I always knew you'd make a beautiful bride"

Rachel quickly turned around and met the gaze of Noah Puckerman. "Noah, what are you doing here? You never RSVP'd-"

Puck placed a finger over Rachel's lips to silence her.

"Look Rachel, I know this is terrible timing to speak to you but please hear me out. I promise I'm not here to ruin your big day".

Rachel was shocked at how sincere Noah sounded. She grabbed his arm and led them into a nearby room.

Rachel looked Noah in the eyes, "you mean you're not here to confess your love for me and beg me not to marry my fiancé?"

Noah scoffed, "fuck no Rachel, what kind of monster do you think I am?"

Rachel raised one eyebrow at him as if to remind him that he's the same asshole who broke her heart a decade ago.

"Okay, I know I deserved that look. I mean I know I broke your heart Rachel, but I could never be that selfish to ruin the biggest day of your life".

Rachel took a deep breath, "well if you're not here to try to win me back, then why are you here"?

Puck broke their gaze and started pacing back and forth across the room.

"Honestly Rach, I don't know WHY I'm here but I knew I HAD to be. I get a call last night that I need to be in Times Square for a photoshoot for GQ magazine and end up arriving just a few blocks from here. I felt as if fate was forcing me to reconnect with you. The minute I step out of my taxi I'm greeted with a billboard of you. It's like no matter what I do I can't escape you"

Rachel smiled sadly at him, "Trust me I know the feeling. By the way those are some tiny underwear Calvin Klein made you wear"

Puck laughed and faced her again. "I guess I came here to let you know that I'm truly happy for you. No one else deserves the success and happiness you've earned. I don't want to mess up anything for you so I'm not here to beg you to be my friend. Just know that throughout these years I've never forgotten you, not even for a single day. I'll always love you Rach, no need trying to pretend I don't. I wish you nothing but the best".

Puck gave Rachel a hug and began to walk towards the door when he heard the tiniest sound escape from Rachel's mouth, "why"?

Puck turned around and was faced with Rachel staring at the ground, tears pouring from her face.

He quickly wrapped his arms around her. "I didn't mean to make you cry! Oh fuck I'm just the biggest asshole ever. Who makes a bride cry on their wedding day? Rachel did I say something wrong? I'm so sorry, don't pay me any mind, I just fuck everything up as usual-"

Rachel placed a finger on his lips. Again she repeated "why".

Puck looked confused, "why what Rach?".

In a voice barely above a whisper Rachel spoke, "why did you cheat on me"?

Puck closed his eyes and placed one hand on his forehead. "Do you really wanna know the truth? This is something I promised myself I would never tell you".

"of course, I need to know Noah." Rachel was holding her breath.

Puck hesitated. After a moment he replied, "I never cheated on you Rachel"

Rachel began breathing erratically. "What? I remember it as if it were yesterday. You came to my house and told me you slept with some Cheerio. You said our relationship had gotten stale and you needed something new in your life-"

"I lied Rachel. I never cheated on you. I loved you too damn much to ever do that". Puck was looking everywhere but Rachel's eyes.

"But why would you lie? If you loved me so much why would you break my heart, why would you ruin us?". Rachel's head felt like it was spinning. The startling news was too much for her to process.

Puck sighed, "I broke your heart because I knew it was the only way you would leave me and go to NY".

The room was completely silent until the sound of a slap across Noah's face echoed throughout the room.

Rachel was livid. "How dare you make that decision for me Noah? It was my choice to make, not yours! I could've gone to NY and still be with you!"

"Who are you trying to fool Rachel? I was a screw up, I had nothing going for me. I know you would've put your dreams on hold just to help me be something, and I loved you enough to not make you sacrifice your dreams for us". Puck's face still burned from the slap. After all these years he could still feel the same sting from when she slapped him 10 years earlier. He'd been in over a dozen fights, and still a slap from Berry hurt more than a motherfucker.

Rachel faced Noah, "don't you get it? My biggest dream was US. No amount of awards can ever measure up to what we had. I would know, I've achieved almost all of my career goals and still none of it gives me the joy I felt being with you"

Puck grabbed Rachel in his arms and looked down at her, "You still love me, don't you?"

Rachel looked up at Noah, "Honestly, I don't think-"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Rachel! Are you in there? You have 10 minutes until show time!". Louise's voice sounded frantic.

It was if Louise's words snapped Rachel back into reality. She quickly loosened herself from Puck's hold and walked across the room. Avoiding his eyes she said, "Noah I really think you should leave".

"But Rach, I love you and you love me, you can't marry this douchebag", Puck was pleading with her.

"I never said I still love you, I made a promise to a man and unlike you I keep my promises. Please leave, I really have to go", Rachel's eyes were closed because she didn't have the heart to look Noah in the eye while tearing his heart apart.

She walked to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob, turning back she smiled softly at Puck and opened the door.

"Rachel wait-", Puck yelled.

Rachel lowered her voice, "it's too late Noah", and quickly exited the room. The moment she was alone she broke down into tears. She had no idea how she was supposed to marry man her heart did not desire.

Trying to compose herself, she walked into her bridal room. She was startled to find all the ladies in her wedding party waiting for her. Her make up artist gasped from the sight she saw before her. Before she could speak however, the voice of someone else filled the room.

Karen stepped forward, "Oh no hunny how did you find out? It only happened while you were out of town".

Rachel's heart skipped a beat, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Karen hid behind the flower girls, "Surely you look devastated because you somehow found out about mine and Winston's affair".

Rachel let out a chuckle and couldn't stop herself from laughing. Somehow her wedding day turned into a soap opera. Looking at Karen she icily replied, "Well you can him and all 3 minutes of pleasure he's able to muster".

Leaving the ladies shocked and in silence, Rachel took off running towards the room she was just in with Noah. Turning the knob and smiling, she opened the door to find no one. Noah was gone.

* * *

A/n: please don't hate me! Sorry I took so long to update, but sometimes life just gets in the way of things.

& of course there will be another chapter


	6. Operation Puckleberry

Puck tried to exit the room without being seen. Of course as his shitty luck would have it, as he turned the corner he was left standing face to face with Rachel's fiancé. In a matter of minutes that fuckface will officially be called Rachel's husband, Puck bitterly thought. It appeared as if he recognized him, but Puck thought that was just his paranoia getting the best of him because there was no way in hell Rachel would ever talk about him. Puck nodded his head at him and got his ass out of there as fast as he could.

Rachel searched around the room frantically. Unfortunately she had to accept the sad news that Noah was gone. She was just about to exit the room when Winston entered.  
Walking towards her, eyes pleading for forgiveness, "Rachel I am so sorry. I never intended for you to find out this way".  
Rachel rolled her eyes, "what you really mean by that is that you never intended for me to find out. You're an accomplished actor, I would think you could lie better than that"  
Winston reached out to hold her but she quickly moved away. "Rachel please just hear me out, I completely understand if you don't want us to get married today, but just let me explain. I'm so sorry I hurt you, I love you more than anything".  
Rachel walked to the opposite side of the room. Standing in the same spot where just minutes before the love of her life stood. "Winston, you don't have to apologize. The truth is I'm to blame as well in all this. I don't love you the way a person should love someone they're about to marry. I should have never said yes to your proposal when my heart was-"  
"His all along. You still love him don't you".  
Rachel was taken aback, "How do you know about him? I've never once mentioned him to you".  
Winston smiled sadly at her, "Look, a man knows when a woman looks into his eyes and sees someone else. I've accepted for awhile now that I'll always love you more than you love me. And I was truly okay with marrying you and spending the rest of my life with you, knowing you only loved me a fraction of how much I love you. But I saw him leave this room, and he looked completely broken. I knew who he was instantly because he looked how I felt. I know what it's like to love someone you can never truly have. This thing with Karen- it only happened because for a moment she made me feel loved. I had forgotten what it felt like to have someone who truly wants all of you. I'm not condoning what I did, and I don't love her. But I want you to know I never wanted to hurt you."  
Rachel was in tears, "Winston I'm so sorry I put you through all of this. I promise you that I truly thought I loved you. It wasn't until recently that I felt something was missing. I spent so long blocking out my feelings for him, that I had forgotten how to feel. I hope one day you can forgive me. I know it sounds strange because technically you cheated on me, but I know I've hurt you too"  
Winston walked up to her and placed his arms around her. "I already forgive you. You Rachel Berry, are not a malicious person. I fell in love with the kind hearted person you are. I know deep in my heart if you were aware of your feelings for him you would have never accepted my proposal. I want you to be happy, even if it means losing you. I'll deal with this mess, go find him and make him the luckiest man in the world. Go before I change my mind", Winston smiled at her.  
Rachel gave him a kiss on the cheek and whispered "thank you".  
Rachel quickly left the room, unaware that as she closed the door, the man standing inside was completely crushed.

Puck was two blocks away headed to his photoshoot when he felt his phone vibrate. He quickly unlocked his phone when he saw it was from Finn. "What the fuck dude! U promised me u wouldn't ruin her day. Her fiancé just said the wedding is called off but wouldn't say why. What did u say to her?"  
Puck stared at his phone in disbelief. It wasn't until people began giving him dirty looks and yelling rude remarks that he realized he was holding up traffic in the middle of the sidewalk. He moved towards the fire hydrant and quickly replied "You better not be lying or I swear to God I'm gonna kick your tall lanky ass"  
Finn replied "I should kick your ass for doing this to her! No I'm not lying asshole!"  
Puck laughed at the thought of Finn trying to fight him. He knew his threats were empty, he was like the real life Pillsbury dough boy all mushy and sweet and shit. Puck wanted nothing more than to run back and find Rachel but he had an obligation to have his sweet ass photographed. He figured it shouldn't take long, after all he was a veteran when it came to showing off what the good Lord gave him.  
He carefully typed out a text to Finn.  
"Dude I need you to stall Rachel. As in don't let her leave. Don't tell her it's for me or else she'll kick u in ur balls and leave anyway. Just find a way to make sure she won't leave until I tell u it's ok. I need you to do this for me. Can you?"  
Puck held his breath until Finn replied. "Okay bro but you better have something awesome planned like the worlds best apology cause if you don't I swear I'll really kick your ass"

Puck smiled, there was no way he was gonna fuck this up, not this time anyway. Sprinting to the lobby of his photoshoot he quickly formulated a plan.

Rachel changed out of her gown into her designer jeans, blouse, and flats. She put on a pair of sunglasses and grabbed her purse, determined to leave without being seen. Just as she was headed out the door a large figure blocked her into the room.

"Finn! What a pleasure to see you but I really have to get out of here"  
Finn panicked, he had no idea what to say to keep Rachel from leaving. She walked past him and he stammered "uhh umm Rachel you can't leave"  
Rachel turned back, "why not Finn?"  
Finn closed his eyes until suddenly he had an idea. "It's your security guards! Yeah they said something about Jacob Ben Israel crashing your wedding and until they get the police you have to stay in this room".  
Rachel quickly walked back inside and pulled out her pepper spray. "It's okay Finn I'm prepared"  
Finn felt like he was going to faint. His head was pounding and he could barely breathe. Suddenly he heard Rachel's voice. "Oh no! Please tell me you did not have another bottle of Saki! You don't look too good Finn! Please sit down I'll get you some water."  
Finn was relieved that his shaky nerves were gonna buy him a few more minutes with Rachel. He knew he couldn't stall her forever so he prayed Puck was almost done.  
Rachel returned with a bottle of water for him. "Here, drink some of this, I'll keep an eye on you for a few minutes but I'm gonna have to call Kurt to stay with you cause I really have to go".  
Finn nodded and decided to play up his symptoms. "Rachel I can't move! I think I'm having a heart attack. I have chest pains and umm I'm having trouble thinking!"  
Rachel looked at Finn and said "I'll get a doctor, stay right here!"  
Sure enough, five minutes later Rachel managed to find a doctor. Rachel waited until the doctor gave Finn a thorough examination and concluded that he was not having a heart attack but a mild anxiety attack.  
Rachel smiled at Finn, "you're going to be fine! Please keep me updated. I'm so sorry but I have to go!"  
Finn started to yell after her but she was gone. He took out his phone ready to text Puck with the awful news when he heard Rachel speaking to someone outside the door.  
Rachel re-entered the room, only this time Quinn Fabray followed her in. Quinn turned to Finn, "hey Finn I heard you're not feeling too well but I really need to speak to Rachel, do you think you can give us a few minutes alone?  
Finn smiled, "please take all the time in the world. I insist!"  
Finn left the room but stayed nearby. He had to think of a new plan to stall Rachel once Quinn and her were done speaking.

Quinn laughed nervously at Rachel. "This is so weird, you're my best friend yet I'm somewhat terrified to speak to you".  
Rachel smiled, "nothing's changed Quinn I promise"  
Quinn smiled back but her expression soon turned into a frown. "No Rachel everything is different. I abandoned you when you needed me all because I was being selfish and completely out of line. You never once led me on, it was just foolish of me to blame you for my feelings"  
Rachel sat down on the small couch and motioned Quinn to join her. "You're right about one thing, I did need my friend. I care so much about you and it hurt just not having you in my life. If you don't want to be my best friend I'll be sad but I'll understand. But please don't cut me off completely".  
Quinn smiled, "I was afraid you didn't want me as a best friend anymore after how I acted, but I'll be more than honored to take back my title".  
Rachel gave her a big hug.  
"Now tell me what on Earth is going on. I tried to get here on time but the amount of paparazzi outside made it almost impossible to get in. And once I made it in I'm greeted by our friends telling me you called off the wedding. Rachel what happened?"  
Rachel stared at the hardwood floors. "Quinn I don't even know where to begin. There's somewhere I have to be right now but I promise you we'll meet up soon so we can discuss what's going on".  
They both stood up and hugged once again before saying goodbye.

As happy as Rachel was to have Quinn back in her life, she had no time at the moment to dwell on their friendship. She was a woman on a mission. Find Noah Puckerman. Rachel finally left the building, despite the many protests of one Finn Hudson. She had no idea what she ever found so endearing about his sheer ignorance. Perhaps New York made her lose all the patience she once had because there was no way on Earth she could ever tolerate being around him again.

Rachel ignored all the paparazzi, fans, reporters, and tried to think where Noah's photoshoot could be. She decided to walk a few blocks so she could at least look at his physique for inspiration. Standing in the middle of Times Square Rachel glanced up at his billboard but instead of his luscious body were the words "Will you Marry Me Rachel" spread across.

* * *

A/N: so again my apologies for the wait. I will try to post the next chapter soon! & points to anyone who caught my Notebook reference. Please read & review!


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